How is technology making digital marketing more exciting?

TECHNOLOGY has always enabled digital marketing in new and interesting ways — be it advertising, campaign management, or even features such as personalization and localization.

However, it seems as though marketers that love technology are in for a treat as blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) are set to make a big impact on the industry.

Gartner, in a recent forecast, said that their study of the market shows that four technologies have the capability to transform how marketers run their technology ecosystems and, ultimately, deliver meaningful customer experiences.

“Marketers today must strike the right balance between delivering meaningful customer experiences that differentiate their brands and focusing on providing real value to the business,” said Gartner’s Marketing Practice VP Mike McGuire.

“Event-triggered and real-time marketing will have the biggest impact on marketing activities in the next five years. However, before marketers can realize the benefits of these technologies, they must first become proficient in predictive analytics and delivering personalized communications.”

According to Gartner’s analysts, AI for marketing is at its peak and they expect that the interest in the technology will not fade quickly as AI continues to be the buzzword used to describe a host of features to augment the functions performed by marketers — from automated content tagging to real-time personalization.

Over the next 20 years, the power that AI holds with marketers is forecasted to drive pervasive shifts across the marketing technology ecosystem, effectively transforming the marketing practice.

A Gartner 2018 survey revealed that 11 percent of marketing technology executives reported AI as their top choice as the technology that would have the most impact on their marketing efforts in the next five years.

Blockchain for advertising is another technology that Gartner’s analysts see holding tremendous promise for marketers.

However, significant challenges with scalability, performance and adoption must be overcome before blockchain can alter the status quo.

According to Gartner’s analysts, dozens of companies have launched experimental blockchain platforms for advertising, but none have been able to demonstrate ongoing viability.

Despite the skepticism, blockchain seems to be gaining momentum through support from organizations such as the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and emerging innovations from technology companies such as IBM, Comcast, and Amazon, which are working with industry leaders on the buy and sell-side of media.

Disruptive challengers from outside the industry are also adding urgency, said Gartner.

In the future, technology is expected to make the field of digital marketing more vibrant — especially with new and emerging technologies challenging professionals to think outside the box to capture the attention of customers.